I went in worrying a little that this one would suffer from too many villains or too much grit. If you're worried about it too, don't worry too much. There are some moments where the villains start to get a little too conveniently crazy but by and large there's nothing to fret about there. In addition, this movie maybe more than any other recent comic movie, embraces the comic world. Sure, it's still a real world, as it were, but it's one that understands who exists out here. It doesn't have to be Batman's dark and gritty Gotham, it has to be a world where superheroes exist and where CGI drives certain sequences because that's what these guys are: living CGI. Marc Webb embraces that and it pays off here. Lots of real personality to this movie and it works incredibly well.
Showing posts with label green goblin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green goblin. Show all posts
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Quick review: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
Hey all my buddies. Just saw Amazing Spider-Man 2 for the first time and I thought I'd throw up a quick review. As ever, this quick review won't have any spoilers, just initial thoughts.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Savage Wolverine 17, Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 12, What If? Age of Ultron 4
Savage Wolverine 17
Isanove (w+a) and Petit (l)
Wolverine has managed to get Sophia and Matti out of town to go to their aunt's home in Colorado, hoping to get away from the action they've been up against. However, their assailants still have Peter, who hadn't quite died in the shootout and who tells them of his aunt's house before they officially kill him. As Wolverine gets a coffee in town, ready to leave, he hears that the two have been there and he races back to the house to find their uncle Burt already dead, their aunt Adele tied up to a mounted hunting trophy, Matti beat up on the floor, and Sophia getting stabbed in an eye. Wolverine dives into the fight and, with the help of the wounded Sophia and Adele ripping the trophy off the wall, he overcomes the villains. Eighty years later, he meets with Sophia again, now an old woman in a retirement home with family of her own and they talk and reminisce peacefully.
Story
The exciting gangster story continues and only gets darker and darker. Marion and Frenchy are driven by their need to finish this job, unable to live with the idea that they've been bested in even the slightest of ways, and will kill anyone in their way to prove they're the best. Wolverine plays his role, preferring only to get the kids to safety and not to attack the problem head-on, which he admits to Sophia isn't the way he's used to working. Framing it that way makes the issue and the story a little more interesting in retrospect as it does really showcase a younger Logan, pre-X-Men and really pre-Wolverine (for all I've been calling him Wolverine), needing to think about the responsibility he has on him during all of this. The downside of this arc is that it does feel like the story dragged a little bit, especially considering this was just a four-issue arc. Now that we've come to the end, it feels like this has been all the series has focused on, like we've never seen another SAVAGE WOLVERINE issue outside of this arc. Still, it's a nice look at another time in Logan's life. 4/5
Character
Isanove led off SAVAGE WOLVERINE 15 with a deeper look into Marion and the Frenchman in the hopes that we'd understand who Logan is dealing with better but, now that the arc is done, it seems like it was a strange move. We did get more understanding of what Logan was dealing with but there's not really a sense of sympathy to them and, truth told, I still largely forget about them until like, midway through an issue. That's probably on me but it still struck me as odd; a pair of villains driving an arc who I can't remember details about except that they liked Houdini? Kinda weird. Logan is ever Logan here and Sophia gets built up a little bit in this final issue as she convinces Logan that she understands him, that no one could have saved Vicky and that Peter died because he didn't listen to Logan. Good work with our main protagonists, a little less so with the antagonists. 3/5
Writing
It's hard to judge the writing of this issue. I don't think it's bad, per se, but I think Isanove's art drives the tone more than the writing. The writing is what it is and it conveys the plot well enough but it's the art and particularly the colors that give this issue some weight. Still, the writing does what it needs to and that's more than plenty of other books can say. 4/5
Art
As I hinted at, the art does a phenomenal job here in storytelling. There are some times where faces look a little bit off or the blurring sort of technique doesn't quite work on people but by and large the art tells the story as effectively as any writing. There is a sense that you could flip through this one and not read any of the words and still have a solid grasp on what's happening. The colors are wonderful and create a sense of the area these characters travel through and live in. It's a strange book because it's not my favorite art by any stretch but it's seemingly perfect for this story, helped, undoubtedly, by the fact it's all Isanove. 5/5
Miscellaneous
Not a bad little arc. One likely that will impress readers as they read it but maybe not stand out in their memory after the fact (okay, that's definitely a little too much personal opinion coming out).
Total score: 4/5
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 12
Shinick (w) and Frenz and Checchetto (p) and Buscema and Chechetto (i) and Rosenberg (c) and Caramagna (l)
In the wake of Goblin's attack on Doc Ock's one-time love Mary Alice, Doc Ock pounds on the Goblin and vows revenge, prompting them into something of an arms war in their separate battles against Spider-Man. While Goblin continues to try to shatter Spider-Man's mind, Doc Ock continues to try to use science to shatter his body. Finally, Doc rather wins as he replaces Spidey's mind with his own and watches him die in his own frail body. In addition, he becomes the superior hero and fixes up the city through science. However, when Goblin takes Anna Maria, Doc Ock realizes he's not strong enough to face Goblin again and turns over the controls to the growing Peter Parker, allowing another defeat over Goblin at the cost of himself.
Story
I had some problems with this story last time as it feels like it's trying too hard to link Goblin and Doc Ock in a really farfetched sort of way. Those problems persist here as they're the driving force of this book too. Still, the issue races through years of backstory to see where we are today and to wrap things up rather hurriedly as Peter Parker tags back in. Maybe the problem is it's hard to be invested in these characters or in this story with strange and previously entirely unreferenced connection to today. It leaves the story feeling boring and a bit of a slog to get through, particularly considering how wordy it is. 2/5
Character
Though the Mary Alice Anders stuff was there already, this retcon to have Goblin essentially kill her feels really forced, like it's just a way to raise stakes that already seemed high enough in the main story. The idea behind the retcon, though, is kind of interesting, the idea that we've now finished reading Otto's story over in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN but that there was a little more to his character and to his history with Goblin than ever met the eye. I don't think it particularly works here but I think that it's an interesting concept in the way it was executed. Still, not much else to be gained from character that we haven't seen done better over in SUPERIOR. 3/5
Writing
Doctor Octopus is rather verbose as a character but the narrative here over-explains like crazy. On top of an extended segment where he's pounding on Goblin and each thought is bookended by Ock thinking "and strike" as he strikes Goblin, we get an entire summation of their relationship to Spider-Man and to each other as the years have gone on, all in narrative. It makes for a slow read of ideas that shouldn't really be new to readers and it certainly doesn't help make the story more interesting. 2/5
Art
Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema team up for the bulk of the art on this book, just about anything that took place in the past and they give the book a more simple feel, as does Rachelle Rosenberg, whose colors are very strong but have fewer gradients in the flashback stuff. Marco Checchetto picks up the reins late in the book as he draws current day Spider-Man and Peter Parker when they re-emerge and the art style shifts to reflect the change. Both art styles are great and work well in the time they're addressing and the shift between the two distinct styles works to let the audience know what's happening. Solid art here. 5/5
Miscellaneous
Not a whole ton more to add, I think I pretty much said what I wanted to say.
Total score: 3/5
What If? Age of Ultron 4
Keatinge (w) and Kowalski and Edwards (p) and Kowalski and Magyar (i) and Major (c) and Sabino (l)
It's Captain America's turn in the spotlight (or specifically out of it, I suppose) as the Age of Ultron shockwave kills a Cap in another universe and leads the world to lose faith in their heroes. When Cap suddenly died, the other heroes tried to cover it up to keep a world already upset from finding out but when they found out they turned even more on their heroes. The world fell into disarray and distrust. Iron Man's new plan is to find someone who could embody the spirit of this new America and lead the world into a new day. He picks Frank Castle and they pump him up with a new sort of super soldier serum developed by Reed Richards and put him in a costume and set him to work. Things work out far better than anyone could have guessed and it leads to an even better world than the 616, one where invasions are stopped more quickly, Civil War never happens, etc., all leading to a new initiative of having a Cap in every state and eventually a Cap in countries all over the globe.
Story
Okay, these WHAT IFs have been a little shaky in some of their logic (as is often the case with WHAT IFs) but this one is boggling start to finish. The idea that the world would lose some hope with the death of Captain America isn't too farfetched (though it's hard to say exactly when he died from the shockwave and the art makes it look a little like it's right as he came out of the ice so that's kinda weird that it would even have an effect) but the idea that heroes would try to cover it up is strange and that the world would turn on heroes for it is even weirder. Ultimately, though, the idea that Punisher becomes Captain America, an even better Captain America, is the least believable bit. Keatinge has enjoyed experimenting with these sort of scenarios through the run of this improbable series and has enjoyed turning things on their head a bit to see if they worked but this one seems like the premise is flawed. 2/5
Character
Castle is the character we see most here and he seems to be the same general Castle from the 616, making the shift from Punisher to Captain America exactly as weird as it seems. Still, there's not much character to look at here until the end, when a young girl has discovered the retired Castle and tries to get him to stop being surly and teach her to throw a trashcan lid, eventually prompting her to become another Captain America in the future. Just weird, this issue. 2/5
Writing
The story is the weirdest element and the writing then stays out of its way in a book that has almost no conflict, just a series of events that seem to be going everyone's way. Still, the writing starts to get a little grating as two children start talking about whether or not Old Man Castle really was the Captain America who kicked this all off. It suffers from that sort of "this is how kids talk!" style writing that makes it almost intolerable. Okay, so this is maybe a little bit of a nitpick as it only happens for like, a page, but it's the most notable writing in the book that isn't just explaining what's happening. 3/5
Art
The art, split up between Piotr Kowalski and Neil Edwards, does its work. Kowalski's stuff is pretty great when looking at setting or even at figures but looks a little cartoonish in faces, which comes at odds with the rest of his drawing. Edwards' stuff is a little more uniform but doesn't give the sort of sweeping looks at setting or the really stand-out figures that Kowalski did. Still, both do what they set out to do and certainly don't hurt the book. 4/5
Miscellaneous
How is this book still going?
Total score: 3/5
Isanove (w+a) and Petit (l)
Story
The exciting gangster story continues and only gets darker and darker. Marion and Frenchy are driven by their need to finish this job, unable to live with the idea that they've been bested in even the slightest of ways, and will kill anyone in their way to prove they're the best. Wolverine plays his role, preferring only to get the kids to safety and not to attack the problem head-on, which he admits to Sophia isn't the way he's used to working. Framing it that way makes the issue and the story a little more interesting in retrospect as it does really showcase a younger Logan, pre-X-Men and really pre-Wolverine (for all I've been calling him Wolverine), needing to think about the responsibility he has on him during all of this. The downside of this arc is that it does feel like the story dragged a little bit, especially considering this was just a four-issue arc. Now that we've come to the end, it feels like this has been all the series has focused on, like we've never seen another SAVAGE WOLVERINE issue outside of this arc. Still, it's a nice look at another time in Logan's life. 4/5
Character
Isanove led off SAVAGE WOLVERINE 15 with a deeper look into Marion and the Frenchman in the hopes that we'd understand who Logan is dealing with better but, now that the arc is done, it seems like it was a strange move. We did get more understanding of what Logan was dealing with but there's not really a sense of sympathy to them and, truth told, I still largely forget about them until like, midway through an issue. That's probably on me but it still struck me as odd; a pair of villains driving an arc who I can't remember details about except that they liked Houdini? Kinda weird. Logan is ever Logan here and Sophia gets built up a little bit in this final issue as she convinces Logan that she understands him, that no one could have saved Vicky and that Peter died because he didn't listen to Logan. Good work with our main protagonists, a little less so with the antagonists. 3/5
Writing
It's hard to judge the writing of this issue. I don't think it's bad, per se, but I think Isanove's art drives the tone more than the writing. The writing is what it is and it conveys the plot well enough but it's the art and particularly the colors that give this issue some weight. Still, the writing does what it needs to and that's more than plenty of other books can say. 4/5
Art
As I hinted at, the art does a phenomenal job here in storytelling. There are some times where faces look a little bit off or the blurring sort of technique doesn't quite work on people but by and large the art tells the story as effectively as any writing. There is a sense that you could flip through this one and not read any of the words and still have a solid grasp on what's happening. The colors are wonderful and create a sense of the area these characters travel through and live in. It's a strange book because it's not my favorite art by any stretch but it's seemingly perfect for this story, helped, undoubtedly, by the fact it's all Isanove. 5/5
Miscellaneous
Not a bad little arc. One likely that will impress readers as they read it but maybe not stand out in their memory after the fact (okay, that's definitely a little too much personal opinion coming out).
Total score: 4/5
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 12
Shinick (w) and Frenz and Checchetto (p) and Buscema and Chechetto (i) and Rosenberg (c) and Caramagna (l)
Story
I had some problems with this story last time as it feels like it's trying too hard to link Goblin and Doc Ock in a really farfetched sort of way. Those problems persist here as they're the driving force of this book too. Still, the issue races through years of backstory to see where we are today and to wrap things up rather hurriedly as Peter Parker tags back in. Maybe the problem is it's hard to be invested in these characters or in this story with strange and previously entirely unreferenced connection to today. It leaves the story feeling boring and a bit of a slog to get through, particularly considering how wordy it is. 2/5
Character
Though the Mary Alice Anders stuff was there already, this retcon to have Goblin essentially kill her feels really forced, like it's just a way to raise stakes that already seemed high enough in the main story. The idea behind the retcon, though, is kind of interesting, the idea that we've now finished reading Otto's story over in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN but that there was a little more to his character and to his history with Goblin than ever met the eye. I don't think it particularly works here but I think that it's an interesting concept in the way it was executed. Still, not much else to be gained from character that we haven't seen done better over in SUPERIOR. 3/5
Writing
Doctor Octopus is rather verbose as a character but the narrative here over-explains like crazy. On top of an extended segment where he's pounding on Goblin and each thought is bookended by Ock thinking "and strike" as he strikes Goblin, we get an entire summation of their relationship to Spider-Man and to each other as the years have gone on, all in narrative. It makes for a slow read of ideas that shouldn't really be new to readers and it certainly doesn't help make the story more interesting. 2/5
Art
Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema team up for the bulk of the art on this book, just about anything that took place in the past and they give the book a more simple feel, as does Rachelle Rosenberg, whose colors are very strong but have fewer gradients in the flashback stuff. Marco Checchetto picks up the reins late in the book as he draws current day Spider-Man and Peter Parker when they re-emerge and the art style shifts to reflect the change. Both art styles are great and work well in the time they're addressing and the shift between the two distinct styles works to let the audience know what's happening. Solid art here. 5/5
Miscellaneous
Not a whole ton more to add, I think I pretty much said what I wanted to say.
Total score: 3/5
What If? Age of Ultron 4
Keatinge (w) and Kowalski and Edwards (p) and Kowalski and Magyar (i) and Major (c) and Sabino (l)
Story
Okay, these WHAT IFs have been a little shaky in some of their logic (as is often the case with WHAT IFs) but this one is boggling start to finish. The idea that the world would lose some hope with the death of Captain America isn't too farfetched (though it's hard to say exactly when he died from the shockwave and the art makes it look a little like it's right as he came out of the ice so that's kinda weird that it would even have an effect) but the idea that heroes would try to cover it up is strange and that the world would turn on heroes for it is even weirder. Ultimately, though, the idea that Punisher becomes Captain America, an even better Captain America, is the least believable bit. Keatinge has enjoyed experimenting with these sort of scenarios through the run of this improbable series and has enjoyed turning things on their head a bit to see if they worked but this one seems like the premise is flawed. 2/5
Character
Castle is the character we see most here and he seems to be the same general Castle from the 616, making the shift from Punisher to Captain America exactly as weird as it seems. Still, there's not much character to look at here until the end, when a young girl has discovered the retired Castle and tries to get him to stop being surly and teach her to throw a trashcan lid, eventually prompting her to become another Captain America in the future. Just weird, this issue. 2/5
Writing
The story is the weirdest element and the writing then stays out of its way in a book that has almost no conflict, just a series of events that seem to be going everyone's way. Still, the writing starts to get a little grating as two children start talking about whether or not Old Man Castle really was the Captain America who kicked this all off. It suffers from that sort of "this is how kids talk!" style writing that makes it almost intolerable. Okay, so this is maybe a little bit of a nitpick as it only happens for like, a page, but it's the most notable writing in the book that isn't just explaining what's happening. 3/5
Art
The art, split up between Piotr Kowalski and Neil Edwards, does its work. Kowalski's stuff is pretty great when looking at setting or even at figures but looks a little cartoonish in faces, which comes at odds with the rest of his drawing. Edwards' stuff is a little more uniform but doesn't give the sort of sweeping looks at setting or the really stand-out figures that Kowalski did. Still, both do what they set out to do and certainly don't hurt the book. 4/5
Miscellaneous
How is this book still going?
Total score: 3/5
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Superior Spider-Man 31
Superior Spider-Man 31
Slott (s) and Gage (w) and Camuncoli (p) and Dell and Pallot (i) and Fabela (c) and Eliopolous (l)
Peter Parker is back and he's ready to start setting things right. Carlie explains a little of what's happened to him at Parker Labs and he sets off, gaining the trust of Spider-Man 2099 on the way and helping where he can as he moves towards the Green Goblin and Anna Maria. The two spiders fight their way to the Alchemax building and "rescue" Liz Allan and son Normie, as well as Tiberius Stone (all of whom are still, you know, pretty evil, but they pretend they're not). As 2099 leads them out, Peter heads for the roof where Goblin has Anna Maria strapped to a pumpkin bomb. Goblin quickly realizes it's Peter, not Doc Ock, and begins to flee. Peter follows and unmasks him, revealing that it is Norman Osborn but with a completely different face, one that will be less recognizable. Peter's mini-spiderbots flood Norman's face and inject him with the goblin cure just as Anna Maria frees herself from her bonds and flings herself from the roof. Spider-Man catches her and Goblin and brings them back down to the ground, where Goblin still manages to escape with the help of Liz Allan. Goblin is devoid of his strength and stamina but he's also cured of his madness; the next time he goes after Spider-Man, it'll be at full mind power. Spider-Man meets with Anna Maria and learns that she's totally in love with the Peter she knew and he realizes that not everyone gets to win.
Story
This is it, the big finale of the 31 issue SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN. It's a strong issue, one that wraps up GOBLIN NATION nicely and one that ensures that the right people know Spider-Man is back to being Spider-Man. There are still plenty of hints at new possible stories and a bonus mini-issue at the end (written by Gage with art from Will Sliney and Edgar Delgado) shows where some of the people in his life might end up now (MJ is out of his life but still in the city, Carlie's leaving New York, Jonah Jameson has resigned). It's a story people knew was coming but no one anticipated a 30-issue run and it wraps up neatly here, setting Peter Parker up for a totally fresh start in just two weeks with AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 1. 5/5
Character
Peter Parker is back from the kind-of dead so that's really the big character change to look at. He's instantly back to quipping and helping out non-lethally, returning immediately to "no one dies" mentality. The idea that his personality is so pervasive, that it's so intimately known to everyone, plays a role here as people begin instantly to trust him again, even despite everything that's happened. It's a nice moment when he quips at Goblin and Goblin instantly realizes it's Peter and not Doc Ock and it's a testament to the strength of Peter Parker. There are some things that feel maybe like they're being set right a little too quickly if only because we're expecting him to have a hard road back to being a hero, but it all works here and it's nice to see. 5/5
Writing
Spider-Man books still have a bit of a tendency to over-explain and this issue is no different. Typically I'd have issues with that but somehow Spider-Man feels grandfathered in to over-explanation (I don't always feel this way with Spider-Man but I'm feeling good that Peter's back). Still, I'm not sure I needed shots of what seems like everyone he knows going "well geez, at least he seems to be back to normal!" You can leave some things for us to find out. Also there's a bit too much 2099 talk here and UGH do I hate 2099 talk. Nervous about when the new SPIDER-MAN 2099 series kicks off because I'll have to put that hatred aside. Anyway, certainly on par with SPIDER-MAN writing, maybe a hair better. 4/5
Art
I often confuse (on name alone) Giuseppe Camuncoli with Marco Checchetto, which is totally unfair and often hurts how much I like the art in a book. I tend to be lukewarm on Camuncoli's stuff and I really like Checchetto's. In this issue though, Camuncoli shines. The art is easy to follow, even considering how much ground Spider-Man is covering, how many fights he's entering into, and how many characters look similar to one another. With Peter Parker's return, he has to come face-to-face with a slew of people and Camuncoli does them all justice. Solid work. 5/5
Miscellaneous
What more is there to say? Peter Parker is back.
Total score: 5/5
Sorry guys, got a bit of a busy day today so I'll be back later to review the other books I have scheduled for today but for now, this is just a single-issue review. Figured if any book deserved to have a light shined on it this week, it'd be this one. The blog kicked off with a single-issue review of the death of Peter Parker, seems fitting to dedicate a single-issue review to his rebirth.
Slott (s) and Gage (w) and Camuncoli (p) and Dell and Pallot (i) and Fabela (c) and Eliopolous (l)
Story
This is it, the big finale of the 31 issue SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN. It's a strong issue, one that wraps up GOBLIN NATION nicely and one that ensures that the right people know Spider-Man is back to being Spider-Man. There are still plenty of hints at new possible stories and a bonus mini-issue at the end (written by Gage with art from Will Sliney and Edgar Delgado) shows where some of the people in his life might end up now (MJ is out of his life but still in the city, Carlie's leaving New York, Jonah Jameson has resigned). It's a story people knew was coming but no one anticipated a 30-issue run and it wraps up neatly here, setting Peter Parker up for a totally fresh start in just two weeks with AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 1. 5/5
Character
Peter Parker is back from the kind-of dead so that's really the big character change to look at. He's instantly back to quipping and helping out non-lethally, returning immediately to "no one dies" mentality. The idea that his personality is so pervasive, that it's so intimately known to everyone, plays a role here as people begin instantly to trust him again, even despite everything that's happened. It's a nice moment when he quips at Goblin and Goblin instantly realizes it's Peter and not Doc Ock and it's a testament to the strength of Peter Parker. There are some things that feel maybe like they're being set right a little too quickly if only because we're expecting him to have a hard road back to being a hero, but it all works here and it's nice to see. 5/5
Writing
Spider-Man books still have a bit of a tendency to over-explain and this issue is no different. Typically I'd have issues with that but somehow Spider-Man feels grandfathered in to over-explanation (I don't always feel this way with Spider-Man but I'm feeling good that Peter's back). Still, I'm not sure I needed shots of what seems like everyone he knows going "well geez, at least he seems to be back to normal!" You can leave some things for us to find out. Also there's a bit too much 2099 talk here and UGH do I hate 2099 talk. Nervous about when the new SPIDER-MAN 2099 series kicks off because I'll have to put that hatred aside. Anyway, certainly on par with SPIDER-MAN writing, maybe a hair better. 4/5
Art
I often confuse (on name alone) Giuseppe Camuncoli with Marco Checchetto, which is totally unfair and often hurts how much I like the art in a book. I tend to be lukewarm on Camuncoli's stuff and I really like Checchetto's. In this issue though, Camuncoli shines. The art is easy to follow, even considering how much ground Spider-Man is covering, how many fights he's entering into, and how many characters look similar to one another. With Peter Parker's return, he has to come face-to-face with a slew of people and Camuncoli does them all justice. Solid work. 5/5
Miscellaneous
What more is there to say? Peter Parker is back.
Total score: 5/5
Sorry guys, got a bit of a busy day today so I'll be back later to review the other books I have scheduled for today but for now, this is just a single-issue review. Figured if any book deserved to have a light shined on it this week, it'd be this one. The blog kicked off with a single-issue review of the death of Peter Parker, seems fitting to dedicate a single-issue review to his rebirth.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Superior Spider-Man 30, Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 11
Superior Spider-Man 30
Slott and Gage (w) and Camuncoli, Dell, and Pallot (a) and Fabela (c)
Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 are locked in combat with the new wave of Spider-Slayers when Goblin reveals to Spidey that he has Anna Maria and that he'll have to leave 2099 to fight a battle he can't possibly win by himself if he wants to save-oh, he left? Okay, cool, he's going after Anna Maria, leaving 2099 by himself. Spidey doesn't know where to go but he's intercepted by Menace as she flies by, taunting about their new captive. He follows her underground while, inside of Doc Ock's mind, Peter Parker continues to see Doc's memories. He gets to the point of Ock's memories where he manages to swap consciousnesses with Peter and, just as Peter's whole life flashed before his eyes then, it flashes before the ethereal Peter's eyes now. Suddenly, instead of losing himself to Ock's personality, he's regained all of his memories, all of the Spider-Man times and the Peter Parker times and all of his entire history. Fully charged by this, Peter jumps into Otto's mind again just in time to find that he's wavering about saving Amy Chen, the girl Otto saved alongside Cardiac and another captive the Goblins have taken, worrying that he'll injure himself and there will be no one left to save Anna Maria. Peter leaps into action, taking over the body and forcing Otto to swing in and save the girl. Peter, his presence again known to Otto, yells at his enemy and tells him that now isn't the time for plotting and planning, it's the time to act. Otto admits his weakness and the two leave, discussing what's happening. Otto reveals that he has overcompensated and has deemed himself superior only because he didn't really believes himself to be, whereas Peter always played down his intelligence and abilities because he was never so arrogant. Otto concedes that Peter truly is the superior one and rushes back to Parker Industries. He goes into his lab and enters the mindscape, deleting all traces of Otto's villainous history and even of his recent history, making sure to wipe the slate clean and leaving only the consciousness of Peter behind. Back in control at last, Peter dons his original costume and prepares to once more face off against Green Goblin.
This is the major turning point for the series, no question. Finally the moment we've all waited over a year for has come and we're rewarded by Peter taking control in his ever impressive way. The planner is replaced by the man of action in a time where action is most necessary and Otto's seemingly final act in the body he took such measures to steal is to learn a real lesson about heroism FINALLY. It's a huge moment and, while this is clearly the A-story, it's not the only thing happening. The Avengers continue to fight their fights (all the while reminding us their current feelings on Spider-Man and so on), Spider-Man 2099 continues his fight against the Slayers and Alchemax (all the while reminding us he's from the future), and the city is turning on J. Jonah Jameson thanks, in part, to Alchemax revealing that he commissioned and signed off on the Slayers despite Liz Allan's warnings that he shouldn't. On top of that, Liz is hiding something to do with this whole goblin mess and that will likely come to a head as we reach the conclusion of this storyline. Lots still to come here. Worth picking this book up for the reappearance of the triumphant Peter Parker and the special reprint of BLACK WIDOW 1 that comes tied to the book.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 11
Shinick (w) and Checchetto, Frenz, and Buscema (a) and Rosenberg (c)
In the middle of Goblin Nation, we take a quick look at a former relationship between Otto and Norman Osborn as Otto reminisces on a time when the two teamed up after (one of) the death(s) of Norman Osborn. They managed to put aside their differences and got along amicably enough as they built up plans to destroy Spider-Man, building up a friendship in the process. Of course, Norman's a bit crazy for Otto's liking and the craziness rears its head on more than one occasion, finally coming to a head when, after a heartfelt talk about their friendships in the past, Norman tracks down and hospitalizes a woman to whom Otto was once engaged, hoping that the pain in Otto's soul makes him realize what Norman is trying to accomplish with Spider-Man.
I'm not a big fan of this issue simply because I don't really buy it. Sure I can see a tentative team-up between Goblin and Doc Ock happening but I don't believe that either truly would form any sort of bond. Also, there's a sense between both this and SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN right now that they want Goblin built into the Joker of this universe (there were even chases in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN this week that reminded me a little of the famous Batman story THE KILLING JOKE) and I have some amount of trouble believing this if only because we've seen enough of Osborn's backstory that it's hard to draw those comparisons. We've seen him be human and simply cold without any sort of craziness to him and then, on occasion, we've seen that craziness come back up. This one feels very all or nothing and, in truth, is more all than nothing. I have some trouble buying the conceit of this book and, on top of it, I don't love the writing as a whole. Maybe I just don't care and there's more to be talking about in the middle of Goblin Nation.
Slott and Gage (w) and Camuncoli, Dell, and Pallot (a) and Fabela (c)
This is the major turning point for the series, no question. Finally the moment we've all waited over a year for has come and we're rewarded by Peter taking control in his ever impressive way. The planner is replaced by the man of action in a time where action is most necessary and Otto's seemingly final act in the body he took such measures to steal is to learn a real lesson about heroism FINALLY. It's a huge moment and, while this is clearly the A-story, it's not the only thing happening. The Avengers continue to fight their fights (all the while reminding us their current feelings on Spider-Man and so on), Spider-Man 2099 continues his fight against the Slayers and Alchemax (all the while reminding us he's from the future), and the city is turning on J. Jonah Jameson thanks, in part, to Alchemax revealing that he commissioned and signed off on the Slayers despite Liz Allan's warnings that he shouldn't. On top of that, Liz is hiding something to do with this whole goblin mess and that will likely come to a head as we reach the conclusion of this storyline. Lots still to come here. Worth picking this book up for the reappearance of the triumphant Peter Parker and the special reprint of BLACK WIDOW 1 that comes tied to the book.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 11
Shinick (w) and Checchetto, Frenz, and Buscema (a) and Rosenberg (c)
I'm not a big fan of this issue simply because I don't really buy it. Sure I can see a tentative team-up between Goblin and Doc Ock happening but I don't believe that either truly would form any sort of bond. Also, there's a sense between both this and SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN right now that they want Goblin built into the Joker of this universe (there were even chases in SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN this week that reminded me a little of the famous Batman story THE KILLING JOKE) and I have some amount of trouble believing this if only because we've seen enough of Osborn's backstory that it's hard to draw those comparisons. We've seen him be human and simply cold without any sort of craziness to him and then, on occasion, we've seen that craziness come back up. This one feels very all or nothing and, in truth, is more all than nothing. I have some trouble buying the conceit of this book and, on top of it, I don't love the writing as a whole. Maybe I just don't care and there's more to be talking about in the middle of Goblin Nation.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Superior Foes of Spider-Man 10, Superior Spider-Man Annual 2
Superior Foes of Spider-Man 10
Asmus (w) and Carmenero, Pallot, Plati, Oum, Larraz, and Mossa (a)
The Sinister Six, now down to three members with the disappearance of both Boomerang and Shocker and already lacking a sixth member, lay low while they try to work out their next score. They drop by a nearly empty bar for drinks and end up tying up the barkeeper and any errant patrons while they're there, deciding to get an impromptu score on the bar's safe. While they wait for the safe's timer to allow them entry, they each talk about their biggest professional victories. Overdrive cites a time that he "defeated" Hercules by confusing him mid-job and simply throwing him off the right course (like so much disguised Bugs Bunny). Beetle talks about defeating Matt Murdock in court as a defense attorney. Speed Demon talks about arranging an STD-ridden "mask-chaser" to sleep with Hercules. No sooner does he finish his story than who but Hercules should walk in looking for a place to drink. Speed Demon books it out while Hercules presumably clobbers the other two.
Not a lot to write home about on this one. James Asmus does a fine job filling in for regular scribe Nick Spencer while a slew of artists, a different one for each story and another set to do the frame story, bring their own unique styles to the book in place of Steve Lieber. It's not a bad book to be sure and the tone isn't too far off from the sort of casual tone that Spencer has brought to the book but there's not a lot of meat. The main joke of the issue seems to be that they're not very good villains, a joke that has not so much run its course as it has been presented in better ways. There's a little bit of personality added to the characters in the course of their casual time together but I would have thought this a perfect opportunity to build on those personalities maybe a little more meaningfully. Spencer and Lieber return for issue twelve so we'll see if the next one adds anything different to spice things up a bit more.
Superior Spider-Man Annual 2
Ben Urich: Gage (w) and J. Rodriguez and A. Lopez (a) and J. Rodriguez (c)
Wraith: Gage (w) and Briones (a) and Gandini (c)
The second SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL is split into two parts with story one about Ben Urich, shaken by the recent revelation that his nephew was a goblin for so long. Ben, angry with himself that he didn't see it after all he's been through and all the reporting he's done in the superhero community, tries to find Peter Parker with an incomplete formula for the goblin serum, pieced together from various interviews and tests he's researched. He goes to Parker Industries and tries to give the notes to Sajani but she explains that they have their own source of a test subject with Carlie Cooper, AKA Monster. She has an experimental formula ready but she's not prepared to test it on Carlie without knowing what it might do to her first. Ben says that he'll be able to use it on his nephew and get them the results they want. He manages to track Phil down and attempts to talk him into the possible cure but Phil refuses, enjoying the person he is now. Ben calls out to the Spider-Bots surrounding the neighborhood for Spider-Man's assistance and he arrives before Phil can hurt Ben, though he's already severely hurt a nearby Robbie Robertson. Spider-Man forces Phil to flee and then rushes Robbie to the hospital, leaving Ben to admit that the nephew he thought he had is dead. It's a really interesting story of an extremely interesting character (I've always liked Ben Urich) in a position I don't know I ever would have considered. As Ben points out, he's the guy that figured out Daredevil's identity and he's gone up against Osborn and Kingpin and Elektra and so many others but here he was with a goblin under his nose and no idea about it. Pretty neat story and it very much captures the Ben Urich character.
The second story is about Wraith, waking up at Parker Industries under the watchful eye of the Living Brain. She beats up a not-resisting Living Brain before tracking down Sajani and accidentally instigating Monster into a fight. Carlie has been trying to hold the Monster personality down but Wraith's anger encourages Monster to take hold, leaving Sajani with no choice but to use the formula she's created without testing it properly first. The cure seems to at least work on the outside, knocking Carlie out but reverting her back to a human again. Wraith realizes for the first time that Monster is Carlie and that she's had her facts somewhat backwards in this whole case. She pops out her malfunctioning eyepieces and goes out to join the fight against the Goblins. It's another story that certainly needed telling and it's interesting to me that these two crucial stories (the Wraith one is a little less interesting to me but far more crucial to the events of SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN) are tucked away in a book called SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL. I was a little on the fence about the release of this book if just because we very recently had SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL 1 and it certainly hadn't been another year since then; it felt like maybe a way to get in another Superior Spider-Man story before April finds AMAZING SPIDER-MAN out on the shelves once more. However, it's certainly a pair of stories worth telling and ones that don't have much to do with the Doc Ock Spidey, instead focusing on other characters in his life and on a story that matters a good deal right now. Certainly worth reading and I would call it unmissable for someone keeping up with the events of GOBLIN NATION.
Asmus (w) and Carmenero, Pallot, Plati, Oum, Larraz, and Mossa (a)
Not a lot to write home about on this one. James Asmus does a fine job filling in for regular scribe Nick Spencer while a slew of artists, a different one for each story and another set to do the frame story, bring their own unique styles to the book in place of Steve Lieber. It's not a bad book to be sure and the tone isn't too far off from the sort of casual tone that Spencer has brought to the book but there's not a lot of meat. The main joke of the issue seems to be that they're not very good villains, a joke that has not so much run its course as it has been presented in better ways. There's a little bit of personality added to the characters in the course of their casual time together but I would have thought this a perfect opportunity to build on those personalities maybe a little more meaningfully. Spencer and Lieber return for issue twelve so we'll see if the next one adds anything different to spice things up a bit more.
Superior Spider-Man Annual 2
Ben Urich: Gage (w) and J. Rodriguez and A. Lopez (a) and J. Rodriguez (c)
Wraith: Gage (w) and Briones (a) and Gandini (c)
The second story is about Wraith, waking up at Parker Industries under the watchful eye of the Living Brain. She beats up a not-resisting Living Brain before tracking down Sajani and accidentally instigating Monster into a fight. Carlie has been trying to hold the Monster personality down but Wraith's anger encourages Monster to take hold, leaving Sajani with no choice but to use the formula she's created without testing it properly first. The cure seems to at least work on the outside, knocking Carlie out but reverting her back to a human again. Wraith realizes for the first time that Monster is Carlie and that she's had her facts somewhat backwards in this whole case. She pops out her malfunctioning eyepieces and goes out to join the fight against the Goblins. It's another story that certainly needed telling and it's interesting to me that these two crucial stories (the Wraith one is a little less interesting to me but far more crucial to the events of SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN) are tucked away in a book called SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL. I was a little on the fence about the release of this book if just because we very recently had SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL 1 and it certainly hadn't been another year since then; it felt like maybe a way to get in another Superior Spider-Man story before April finds AMAZING SPIDER-MAN out on the shelves once more. However, it's certainly a pair of stories worth telling and ones that don't have much to do with the Doc Ock Spidey, instead focusing on other characters in his life and on a story that matters a good deal right now. Certainly worth reading and I would call it unmissable for someone keeping up with the events of GOBLIN NATION.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Superior Spider-Man 29, Superior Foes of Spider-Man 9
Superior Spider-Man 29
Slott and Gage (w) and Camuncoli and Dell (a) and Fabela (c)
The Goblins are out in full force and it's up to Spider-Man to try to solve the crisis while simultaneously finding a cure for the goblin serum and protecting the city and his loved ones (or, as the case may be, the loved ones of Peter Parker). He's called away from Parker Industries, where he and Sajani are trying to cure Carlie, when Goblin contacts him and says he's captured someone very important and that they should meet at Empire State University. Believing it to be Anna Maria, Spider-man leaves Sajani in control, which she's not happy about, and takes off for ESU where he finds Goblin holding Professor Lamaze captive. Goblin had seen Spider-Man save both Anna Maria and Lamaze earlier in the series and knew Lamaze to have some connection to Doc Ock and so had guessed wrong about their relationship but still gains the upper hand in the fight as Spider-Man pops the metal arms, which have been hacked by Goblin and immediately begin attacking their owner. As Goblin escapes, Lamaze dives in the way of one of the arms to prevent it from stabbing Spider-Man. A dying Lamaze reveals that he's felt like a worthless coward ever since Spider-Man saved them and he wanted a way for his life to mean something. As Spidey leaves, he's attacked by Jameson's newly launched Spider-Slayers, which prove more of a challenge than he assumed. Before it gets too far, they're disabled by Spider-Man 2099, who of course has been working at Alchemax while living in his past. They quickly reboot though to reveal that they've also been hacked by Green Goblin.
Plenty going on in this one. Just like any good Spider-Man massive event, particularly one with, say, Green Goblin, the story spreads across many civilians, many locations, and many adversaries. Slott made the interesting decision here to place Doc Ock against someone who is, potentially, smarter than him, at least in the way he's planned the attack, and forces Ock onto his heels while he reacts to a foe he didn't even see coming, let alone prepare for. This goes in stark contrast to the differences we saw earlier in this new series; where Peter Parker's Spider-Man tended to be a more reactionary, status quo kind of superhero, fighting against threats when they appeared, the Superior Spider-Man made sure that he and his city were prepared for any sort of foe, keeping situations in check before they even appeared. Now, thanks to Goblin's evasion of the Spider-Bots, Doc Ock is forced into a situation where he has to come when he's called and has to work on the fly, something Peter was far more used to than Doc Ock. Very interesting and subtle flip here and I think so far it's working. The stakes are still high, the problems still often seem insurmountable, and Doc Ock is getting more and more frustrated and irrational. This is just part three of Goblin Nation so expect things to get worse before they get better.
Superior Foes of Spider-Man 9
Spencer (w) and Lieber w/ R. Ellis (a) and Rosenberg w/ Redmond and Ellis (c)
Boomerang successfully deflects Bullseye's shots and he and his sort-of girlfriend start to flee but are followed closely by Bullseye while Boomerang's inner monologue talks about how much he hates competing for jobs against someone like Bullseye, someone seen as more of an A-list villain than a C-list villain. Being a C-list villain, though, has its advantages as no one expects much out of Boomerang. When eventually Bullseye corners the two of them and brings them to his boss Owl, Fred pulls out one of those "no one expects much of me" moments as he manages to talk Owl into the idea that it's possible Chameleon stole the painting disguised as Boomerang. Owl doesn't really believe him but Boomerang convinces him to give him a chance, sending him into Chameleon's home with a camera to see if there's something to see. When Boomerang goes into Chameleon's home, he promptly finds and turns the camera, sound off, on the painting, then convinces Chameleon, egotistical as he is, to change into Boomerang as icing on the cake for Owl to see. He's tossed out of Chameleon's house and given the nod from Bullseye, who turns out to be a robot programmed with Bullseye's skills by the Tinkerer, that he's free to go. Everything's coming up Boomerang except that his old team has finally tracked him down.
One of the things that has certainly been hard for Spencer and Lieber in developing this series is the need to create a character who is simultaneously very clearly not a good guy but is also someone who, when all is said and done, the audience can still, for one reason or another, get behind. It's hard to say, then, that we're particularly rooting for him in this situation; I'm not sure how fazed I'd've been if Owl or Bullseye chose to kill him, but you do still somewhat feel his triumph as he succeeds in convincing the higher ranking criminals of what he wanted to convince them. It's a fun book to read, one that moves pretty quickly even with Boomerang's inner monologue constantly going, and with a very-nearly compelling B-story about Hydro-Man discovering that Shocker has the head of Silvermane. Very-nearly. Still a fun book overall.
Slott and Gage (w) and Camuncoli and Dell (a) and Fabela (c)
Plenty going on in this one. Just like any good Spider-Man massive event, particularly one with, say, Green Goblin, the story spreads across many civilians, many locations, and many adversaries. Slott made the interesting decision here to place Doc Ock against someone who is, potentially, smarter than him, at least in the way he's planned the attack, and forces Ock onto his heels while he reacts to a foe he didn't even see coming, let alone prepare for. This goes in stark contrast to the differences we saw earlier in this new series; where Peter Parker's Spider-Man tended to be a more reactionary, status quo kind of superhero, fighting against threats when they appeared, the Superior Spider-Man made sure that he and his city were prepared for any sort of foe, keeping situations in check before they even appeared. Now, thanks to Goblin's evasion of the Spider-Bots, Doc Ock is forced into a situation where he has to come when he's called and has to work on the fly, something Peter was far more used to than Doc Ock. Very interesting and subtle flip here and I think so far it's working. The stakes are still high, the problems still often seem insurmountable, and Doc Ock is getting more and more frustrated and irrational. This is just part three of Goblin Nation so expect things to get worse before they get better.
Superior Foes of Spider-Man 9
Spencer (w) and Lieber w/ R. Ellis (a) and Rosenberg w/ Redmond and Ellis (c)
One of the things that has certainly been hard for Spencer and Lieber in developing this series is the need to create a character who is simultaneously very clearly not a good guy but is also someone who, when all is said and done, the audience can still, for one reason or another, get behind. It's hard to say, then, that we're particularly rooting for him in this situation; I'm not sure how fazed I'd've been if Owl or Bullseye chose to kill him, but you do still somewhat feel his triumph as he succeeds in convincing the higher ranking criminals of what he wanted to convince them. It's a fun book to read, one that moves pretty quickly even with Boomerang's inner monologue constantly going, and with a very-nearly compelling B-story about Hydro-Man discovering that Shocker has the head of Silvermane. Very-nearly. Still a fun book overall.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Superior Spider-Man 28, Indestructible Hulk 19
Superior Spider-Man 28
Slott (w) and Camuncoli and Dell (a) and Fabela (c)
Spider-Island has been bombed and Spider-Man takes what equipment he can with Robot and flees, leaving his Spiderlings to try to fight off the Goblins. Spidey heads to Parker Industries to try to concoct a plan, where he's set upon by both Sajani, mad that he's been gone for so long, and Wraith, who believes he may have a hand in Carlie's disappearance. Speaking of Carlie, she joins all of them in her new Goblin costume and deformations and chases Peter and Sajani through the building. Eventually Peter pushes Sajani into a separate room, assuring her that Monster will follow him, which she does, and it gives Carlie a chance to talk to Peter without spectators. She needs Doc Ock to fix her brain in only the way he can so that she can be saved and so she can tell him of what's coming next. Meanwhile, MJ has been gathering up friends and family of Peter's, having realized it's Goblin attacking the city and Spider-Man, to keep them safe. Unfortunately, she misses Anna Maria and Lily Hollister, the Goblin known as Menace, gets to her first.
Plenty happening as GOBLIN NATION continues. Slott's created a pretty good tone, and one that he's usually pretty good at maintaining and controlling, a tone of war and destruction. Spider-Man has the best-known and biggest supporting cast of any of the Marvel heroes so when a war is waged on Peter Parker, there are a lot of moving parts. On top of that, Spider-Man never has just one issue to deal with so, on top of Goblin's attack, J. Jonah Jameson has launched "Goblin Slayers" into the city, though MJ recognizes them as Spider Slayers. Slott's always been good at threading multiple storylines and multiple antagonists through a story and it making the story read pretty quickly in the midst of it all. Of course, he tends to have more words per issue than some of the best at it (looking at you, Kirkman) so the over-explanation can sometimes slow one of these fast-paced, high-energy issues down, but he always manages to tell a compelling story and build the characters up through it. Even with three or four concurrent plotlines all led by different characters, Slott's going to make sure we see enough of everyone to get the full feel for it. Should continue to be a good event moving forward.
Indestructible Hulk 19
Waid (w) and Raapack, J. Bennett, R. Jose and Grummett w/ Kesel and Hennessy (a) and Staples (c)
Banner has been thrown out of a moving jet by the newly Terrigenesis'd Randall Jessup, whose new form seems to feed on anger, making it stronger and calming down the other person. Like most Inhuman powers, it's a reflection on the person, as Jessup was always the one to try to stop fights and smooth situations. Unfortunately now, it means that Banner is falling from the plane and can't Hulk out. He resorts to breaking his own finger to surge Hulk back out. He leaps into the air to battle Jessup's new form while his other assistants parachute out of the plane. Hulk realizes that the monster's eyes are the key to his absorption and keeps Jessup from looking at him. Able at last to keep his anger, he defeats the monster and reverts Jessup back to human form. They try to find a cure for him only to find, right as Banner thinks he's done it, Jessup being kidnapped away by one of the numerous evil organizations out there intent on experimenting on new Inhumans. Hulk tries to stop the kidnappers but fails, making it look like, to all Banner's assistants, Hulk killed Jessup or something.
One of the cool things about the Inhuman mutations, as it's been explained during this REALLY prolonged event, is that they tend to reflect the person as much as they're just a cool power. Thanos' son Thane held the power of life and death (well, really death and worse death), the new Inhuman in IRON MAN is a giant jerk, and now Jessup absorbs anger. It's a particularly neat idea because that mutation does reflect Jessup but it also acts as a perfect foil to Hulk. This is pointed out fairly often in the issue, even going so far as to compare the fact that Jessup was at the bomb site when Banner's Terrigen bomb went off to Hulk's origin. When I first realized what Jessup's monster form was, it felt very much like it could have been a situation where it was just a writer saying "this is a cool foil to Hulk and I can do anything so here he is!" There's a new Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon coming out (guys, shut up, I'm pretty well-connected) and the teaser for it shows a scene where Robotnik has created a robot named "Burn-Bot" that Sonic quickly figures out doesn't actually burn anything and blames Robotnik for "false advertising." It's played as a laugh moment, a moment where you're siding with the cool and funny Sonic for pointing this out but behind it, you know the writers named it Burn-Bot just to have that joke and it's not a worthwhile joke to introduce such a stupid concept. I should really get back to talking about Hulk but ANOTHER EXAMPLE is something comedian Kumail Nanjiani brought up about Casino Royale. The stakes at the poker game aren't as high for the audience because it's writers writing a poker game so the incredible fact that Le Chiffre has four of a kind but is beaten by Bond's royal flush isn't as incredible. ANYWAY, this monster could have been that sort of situation but instead, thanks to Inhuman/Marvel canon, Jessup's transformation makes sense and acts as a perfect foil to Hulk. Pretty cool stuff, you guys.
Slott (w) and Camuncoli and Dell (a) and Fabela (c)
Plenty happening as GOBLIN NATION continues. Slott's created a pretty good tone, and one that he's usually pretty good at maintaining and controlling, a tone of war and destruction. Spider-Man has the best-known and biggest supporting cast of any of the Marvel heroes so when a war is waged on Peter Parker, there are a lot of moving parts. On top of that, Spider-Man never has just one issue to deal with so, on top of Goblin's attack, J. Jonah Jameson has launched "Goblin Slayers" into the city, though MJ recognizes them as Spider Slayers. Slott's always been good at threading multiple storylines and multiple antagonists through a story and it making the story read pretty quickly in the midst of it all. Of course, he tends to have more words per issue than some of the best at it (looking at you, Kirkman) so the over-explanation can sometimes slow one of these fast-paced, high-energy issues down, but he always manages to tell a compelling story and build the characters up through it. Even with three or four concurrent plotlines all led by different characters, Slott's going to make sure we see enough of everyone to get the full feel for it. Should continue to be a good event moving forward.
Indestructible Hulk 19
Waid (w) and Raapack, J. Bennett, R. Jose and Grummett w/ Kesel and Hennessy (a) and Staples (c)
One of the cool things about the Inhuman mutations, as it's been explained during this REALLY prolonged event, is that they tend to reflect the person as much as they're just a cool power. Thanos' son Thane held the power of life and death (well, really death and worse death), the new Inhuman in IRON MAN is a giant jerk, and now Jessup absorbs anger. It's a particularly neat idea because that mutation does reflect Jessup but it also acts as a perfect foil to Hulk. This is pointed out fairly often in the issue, even going so far as to compare the fact that Jessup was at the bomb site when Banner's Terrigen bomb went off to Hulk's origin. When I first realized what Jessup's monster form was, it felt very much like it could have been a situation where it was just a writer saying "this is a cool foil to Hulk and I can do anything so here he is!" There's a new Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon coming out (guys, shut up, I'm pretty well-connected) and the teaser for it shows a scene where Robotnik has created a robot named "Burn-Bot" that Sonic quickly figures out doesn't actually burn anything and blames Robotnik for "false advertising." It's played as a laugh moment, a moment where you're siding with the cool and funny Sonic for pointing this out but behind it, you know the writers named it Burn-Bot just to have that joke and it's not a worthwhile joke to introduce such a stupid concept. I should really get back to talking about Hulk but ANOTHER EXAMPLE is something comedian Kumail Nanjiani brought up about Casino Royale. The stakes at the poker game aren't as high for the audience because it's writers writing a poker game so the incredible fact that Le Chiffre has four of a kind but is beaten by Bond's royal flush isn't as incredible. ANYWAY, this monster could have been that sort of situation but instead, thanks to Inhuman/Marvel canon, Jessup's transformation makes sense and acts as a perfect foil to Hulk. Pretty cool stuff, you guys.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Superior Spider-Man 27, Secret Avengers 15
Superior Spider-Man 27
Slott (w) and Camuncoli and Dell (a) and Fabela (c)
GOBLIN NATION is finally in full swing (SWING, guys, like how Spider-Man swings, are you with me on this?) as the glitch in Spidey's spider-bots has finally become apparent to the controversial hero. After a slew of these anomalies, Spider-Man throws himself into his work, ignoring his responsibilities to Parker Industries and Anna Maria. Finally he tracks down Uatu Jackson, who designed the facial recognition software in the spider-bots, and the two of them realize that Spidey can use the program's constant refresh to track where the block is coming from. He goes down an abandoned subway line and finds himself face-to-face with the Green Goblin. The two talk and Goblin reveals that, through the captured Carlie's journal, they've discovered who Spider-Man really is, offering to partner with Otto to rule the city. Spider-Man rejects him and prompts Goblin to attack. Fortunately for Spidey, he had sent a hologram of himself in from Spider Island. Less fortunately, Goblin doesn't cede victory so easily and orders a strike from his troops waiting just outside Spider Island.
Even though the players have changed, this is shaping up to be a classic Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin fight. I've talked plenty about how Otto is a new sort of Spider-Man (whether or not you believe he's superior), one who relies on planning and preparation more than Peter ever did. In that respect, it makes this battle more of the sort of chess game style battle than you usually see out of this pair, which is largely driven by irredeemable actions by Goblin met with inconsolable rage by Spider-Man. This one will still have some of those points to it, particularly as Otto takes it extremely personally whenever he's outplayed, but the opening gambit here finds Otto sending in a hologram to scope out the area while Goblin lays siege to Spider Island. That's not even to get into the subplots of J. Jonah Jameson commissioning new Spider Slayers, a testament to how much he hates Spider-Man right now given that the last appearance of the Slayers ended with his wife's death, and ensuring that Spider-Man knows that they work by his hand and the fact that Peter is still trying to work his way out of his own body's memories to gain control of the body itself. He throws himself into Otto's memories to hide and finds himself almost immediately swept up in them, hoping to retain himself as he lays low to plot and plan against Otto. Need another subplot? Captain Watanabe is still after Peter for the disappearance of Carlie Cooper and the Avengers are still suspicious of Spider-Man. Geez, you guys. There's still a lot of ground to cover before April's AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 1.
Secret Avengers 15
Spencer and Kot (w) and L. Ross (a) and M. Wilson (c)
All of the active Secret Avengers are in the same place now as Clint breaks into Bobbi's quarters to get her out, only to discover that her memories are shattered and that she's incredibly confused and unsure of what's happening. At times she remembers Clint and that she killed Taskmaster and why that was bad but at others she forgets everyone around her. They escape and rejoin Natasha and Fury who, with the unseen help of Mentallo, defeated the Shang-Chi adaptoid. Together, they all make their way for the submarine they arrived in but Forson has other plans. He orders his small team to prepare for attack, commanding them to take Mockingbird down first as she has the most intel on AIM. Before he gives the order to take the shot, the team is accosted by Yelena Belova and instantly she and Mockingbird begin to wrestle. They disappear from view for a moment and, as soon as Mockingbird emerges, Forson has his sniper take the shot, killing her instantly. Clint jumps to her aid while Fury and Natasha take care of the rest of the team. As they pile into the submarine, Clint still carrying Mockingbird, the camotech on Mockingbird disengages to reveal that it was actually Yelena Belova who was shot and who is now in their possession.
Neat little trick ending though it was somewhat telegraphed by a Chekhov's gun style mention of the camotech as Clint rescued Bobbi in the first place and as we don't see "Belova's" body after Mockingbird stands. Still doesn't exactly tell us what's happening with Mock but we can likely assume it's something and not just "oh, she's dead too, Belova killed her but now Belova's dead." There's also some weight to parts of this issue that involve Maria Hill and MODOK working out the kinks of their new and very strained relationship, including the hint that Forson has a double agent working in SHIELD (surprise, SHIELD is beset by double agents and corruption). Luke Ross' art is impressive here and manages to stay emotive even in the midst of big fight scenes, which is always tricky. At times, the style of the book's art and the book's layout confuse unnecessarily, including a long sequence where Fury duels with a sniper, but you can more or less get easily past it just knowing it's a fight scene and Fury wins, all set. There's still one more issue of this iteration of SECRET AVENGERS before it nearly instantly reboots in March but this issue does a nice job setting up the ending of this little story.
Slott (w) and Camuncoli and Dell (a) and Fabela (c)
Even though the players have changed, this is shaping up to be a classic Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin fight. I've talked plenty about how Otto is a new sort of Spider-Man (whether or not you believe he's superior), one who relies on planning and preparation more than Peter ever did. In that respect, it makes this battle more of the sort of chess game style battle than you usually see out of this pair, which is largely driven by irredeemable actions by Goblin met with inconsolable rage by Spider-Man. This one will still have some of those points to it, particularly as Otto takes it extremely personally whenever he's outplayed, but the opening gambit here finds Otto sending in a hologram to scope out the area while Goblin lays siege to Spider Island. That's not even to get into the subplots of J. Jonah Jameson commissioning new Spider Slayers, a testament to how much he hates Spider-Man right now given that the last appearance of the Slayers ended with his wife's death, and ensuring that Spider-Man knows that they work by his hand and the fact that Peter is still trying to work his way out of his own body's memories to gain control of the body itself. He throws himself into Otto's memories to hide and finds himself almost immediately swept up in them, hoping to retain himself as he lays low to plot and plan against Otto. Need another subplot? Captain Watanabe is still after Peter for the disappearance of Carlie Cooper and the Avengers are still suspicious of Spider-Man. Geez, you guys. There's still a lot of ground to cover before April's AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 1.
Secret Avengers 15
Spencer and Kot (w) and L. Ross (a) and M. Wilson (c)
Neat little trick ending though it was somewhat telegraphed by a Chekhov's gun style mention of the camotech as Clint rescued Bobbi in the first place and as we don't see "Belova's" body after Mockingbird stands. Still doesn't exactly tell us what's happening with Mock but we can likely assume it's something and not just "oh, she's dead too, Belova killed her but now Belova's dead." There's also some weight to parts of this issue that involve Maria Hill and MODOK working out the kinks of their new and very strained relationship, including the hint that Forson has a double agent working in SHIELD (surprise, SHIELD is beset by double agents and corruption). Luke Ross' art is impressive here and manages to stay emotive even in the midst of big fight scenes, which is always tricky. At times, the style of the book's art and the book's layout confuse unnecessarily, including a long sequence where Fury duels with a sniper, but you can more or less get easily past it just knowing it's a fight scene and Fury wins, all set. There's still one more issue of this iteration of SECRET AVENGERS before it nearly instantly reboots in March but this issue does a nice job setting up the ending of this little story.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Superior Spider-Man 26, Thor: God of Thunder 18
Superior Spider-Man 26
Slott (w) and Ramos, Rodriguez, Martin, Olazaba, and Lopez (a) and Delgado, Rodriguez, and Martin (c)
It's a story on three fronts as Goblin fights Hobgoblin, the Avengers demand answers from Spider-Man, and Peter Parker tries to navigate his way through a now barren mindscape. Each story is rather self-contained (though obviously part of the bigger story that's happening) and each one is illustrated by a different artist. Goblin and Hobgoblin battle mano y mano to decide who will lead New York's Goblins. The battle culminates in Hobgoblin deciding, after seeing a scar on Goblin's chest, that Goblin really is Norman Osborn and then promptly getting his head cut off. Good news for Roderick Kingsley, though, it wasn't really Roderick Kingsley but a surrogate he had trained just like the new one he's training. Story two has Spider-Man answering questions from the Avengers about why he'd delete the tests the Avengers ran and the camera footage of his tests. He rebuts these questions by saying that he doesn't want people to know his identity more than they have to and wasn't that the point of Civil War and also he's done weird stuff in the past and they haven't asked questions so why should it be any different now and oh, it's because he's an Avenger now, well he quits. So that's that. Meanwhile, in Spider-Man's mindscape, Peter wanders around, weak as he's ever been and missing the memories that made him him. The only memories of Peter that remain are the ones Otto had to look at back when he had the full range of them. Fortunately, these are all memories of great strength for Peter and it gives him the inspiration to keep moving forward and to find a way to retake his body.
OKAY, so apparently we're NOT actually fully at GOBLIN NATION yet and somehow this is lasting longer than the buildup to INHUMANITY and other such stories (but it's not as long as FEAR ITSELF, nothing is as long as FEAR ITSELF). Despite that, all three stories are interesting and important, not to mention well-presented. The secret of the Green Goblin's identity persists, even if Hobgoblin is sold, and Slott clearly wants us to keep asking. On top of that, only former Hobgoblin associate Phil Urich knows that the Hobgoblin his new boss killed isn't Kingsley and he can't spread the news around without Goblin losing claim to Hobgoblin's men. Back to Spider-Man, it seems like the Avengers are more suspicious than ever and things may be turning in that direction soon. Finally, there's the added twist that, even when Peter gets his body back, he likely won't have his full range of memories available to him so his messy life may not get cleared up quite so quickly. Good issue, plenty happening and lots to look forward to.
Thor: God of Thunder 18
Aaron (w) and Pastoras (a and c)
A one-off issue (though we've said that before only to have that one-off come back and mean everything in other series) as Jason Aaron closes out arc three with a tale of young Thor attempting to assist some worshippers on Midgard by finding out who has been attacking their dogs and their crops. The worshippers blame the dragon Skabgagg but Thor discovered that Skabgagg wasn't the problem, a group of trolls were. He and Skabgagg teamed up to defeat them then were both celebrated by the worshippers (a tribe of viking women). They return a few days later to their respective homes where Thor rests and recovers and presumably gets reamed out by Odin. Skabgagg, meanwhile, goes home and immediately fights with his father about what it is to be a dragon. He storms off and goes back to the vikings to keep partying. However, his drunken spiral gets worse and worse and the vikings have to call Thor back to deal with it all. He tries to talk the dragon down but the dragon won't be talked down and Thor has to fight Skabgagg with, if you know Thor, pretty predictable result. Thor returns home a bit sobered by the experience.
It's not a bad little story and Dan Pastoras' art is certainly a good fit for it. Unless Skabgagg and the other dragons of Skabgagg's family return down the line, I can't say this will have a lot of bearing on the title as a whole but it's another in a seemingly endless supply of "Thor grows up" issues littered through his history. The fact we've seen these lessons before, though, doesn't preclude the possibility that this one is worth reading. It's still a pretty good story, maybe a little heavy-handed at times, and the art shines through on Pastoras' little one-shot issue. We get a bit more of Thor's character as he grows up just a little bit and edges ever closer to the Thor we know. Next issue, Jason Aaron promises in a somewhat oddly timed letter to the audience afterwards (the letter itself is pretty neat, in terms of replacing a fan letter page with a letter from the writer to kind of say where we are and where we're going but it's a somewhat unusual thing for a Marvel book to have and it almost makes it feel like Aaron is asking fans to stick with the book), we'll see another big storyline that pits Thor against a threat to Earth and teams him with SHIELD agent Roz Solomon (from WAAAAAY back in issue twelve) and will also bring back King Thor and introduce us to Old Galactus all with the incredible art of original series artist Esad Ribic. Should be neat.
Slott (w) and Ramos, Rodriguez, Martin, Olazaba, and Lopez (a) and Delgado, Rodriguez, and Martin (c)
OKAY, so apparently we're NOT actually fully at GOBLIN NATION yet and somehow this is lasting longer than the buildup to INHUMANITY and other such stories (but it's not as long as FEAR ITSELF, nothing is as long as FEAR ITSELF). Despite that, all three stories are interesting and important, not to mention well-presented. The secret of the Green Goblin's identity persists, even if Hobgoblin is sold, and Slott clearly wants us to keep asking. On top of that, only former Hobgoblin associate Phil Urich knows that the Hobgoblin his new boss killed isn't Kingsley and he can't spread the news around without Goblin losing claim to Hobgoblin's men. Back to Spider-Man, it seems like the Avengers are more suspicious than ever and things may be turning in that direction soon. Finally, there's the added twist that, even when Peter gets his body back, he likely won't have his full range of memories available to him so his messy life may not get cleared up quite so quickly. Good issue, plenty happening and lots to look forward to.
Thor: God of Thunder 18
Aaron (w) and Pastoras (a and c)
It's not a bad little story and Dan Pastoras' art is certainly a good fit for it. Unless Skabgagg and the other dragons of Skabgagg's family return down the line, I can't say this will have a lot of bearing on the title as a whole but it's another in a seemingly endless supply of "Thor grows up" issues littered through his history. The fact we've seen these lessons before, though, doesn't preclude the possibility that this one is worth reading. It's still a pretty good story, maybe a little heavy-handed at times, and the art shines through on Pastoras' little one-shot issue. We get a bit more of Thor's character as he grows up just a little bit and edges ever closer to the Thor we know. Next issue, Jason Aaron promises in a somewhat oddly timed letter to the audience afterwards (the letter itself is pretty neat, in terms of replacing a fan letter page with a letter from the writer to kind of say where we are and where we're going but it's a somewhat unusual thing for a Marvel book to have and it almost makes it feel like Aaron is asking fans to stick with the book), we'll see another big storyline that pits Thor against a threat to Earth and teams him with SHIELD agent Roz Solomon (from WAAAAAY back in issue twelve) and will also bring back King Thor and introduce us to Old Galactus all with the incredible art of original series artist Esad Ribic. Should be neat.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
FF 16, Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 9
FF 16
Fraction and Lee Allred (s) and Lee Allred (w) and M. Allred (a) and L. Allred (c)
Backup story: Kesel and Lee Allred (s) and Lee Allred (w) and Quinones and M. Allred (a) and L. Allred (c)
It's Scott Lang vs. Doom in the battle that the entirety of this run of FF has been building towards. The team has depowered Doom and kept him from the power he so desperately craves after getting his hands on it for such a short time last issue and wielding it like the god he wants to be. So it's man-to-man for Scott and Doom and Scott starts pounding on the evil dictator and giving him a piece of his mind. There's a lot to do with Doom being a sociopath and Lang being an ex-con Cassie's death and so forth. Just as Lang's preparing for his final Doom beat-down, the Living Tribunal shows up to punish Doom for striking the Watcher. He decrees that Doom's face gain a new scar for every horrible crime he enacts going forward. Then he leaves and Lang beats him up some more. The story ends as Ravonna brings Franklin and Val to Scott and gives Doom a vision that he killed Val in the same way he killed Cassie and I guess all is as it should be maybe? The issue ends with the same backup story as in FANTASTIC FOUR 16.
The fatal flaw of this issue is that it just seems to want to do a little too much. Between the really long and somehow rather preachy speech from Scott Lang as he pounds on Doom and the sudden appearance of the Living Tribunal and a somewhat ham-fisted explanation of how powerful Scott Lang is and how he harnessed the true power of Pym Particles and all sorts of other things, the issue really starts to drag on to the point where I was reading it and kind of saying "okay, we get it." It leaves you almost feeling bad for Doom who is very CLEARLY the villain here but who doesn't really come off that way after Scott's long speech. I think the problem has also had to do with focus as the series wound its way down. Bit of a strange send-off, really, and one that, like FANTASTIC FOUR 16, felt a little like maybe it snuck up on the creators a bit. Ah well.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 9
Shinick (w) and Checchetto (a) and Rosenberg (c)
Spider-Man can't help but feel like things are a little tense in the city despite his anti-crime campaign. Everything is eerily quiet until bullets start flying at him. He dodges them and decks his stomach and chest area in his webbing before flying down at his assailant. Spidey is surprised to find that it's Punisher shooting at him (and unaware that his new webbing is bulletproof) and quickly learns that Punisher was trying to get his attention for Daredevil, who is also hanging around. The two are suspicious of the way Spider-Man has been acting lately and they both suspect that he may have had a hand in the theft of a goblin glider from one of Punisher's armories. Spider-Man consents to bring them to Spider-Island to show them his own armory and to prove that he didn't take Punisher's stuff. They talk about how secure Spidey has made the place and how protected he's made the arms he's found but, of course, when he opens the weapons room everything is gone, save one pumpkin bomb flying at them. Punisher shoots it out of the air and he and Daredevil manage to see (or "see," in Daredevil's case) someone trying to escape, disguised as one of Spidey's henchmen. Daredevil sniffs the guy out and the guy reveals that he's covered himself in pumpkin bombs, ready to take the whole place down if need be. He asks for directions from the person he's working for but said person (who we know to be the Green Goblin) does not respond, realizing that Daredevil would hear him and preferring not to be in the open yet. Punisher shoots the trigger out of his hand but it doesn't stop the henchman from dropping a smoke grenade followed by a flashbomb, effectively blinding Punisher (wearing night vision goggles). Punisher throws a knife at the man, upsetting Spider-Man who hoped to get answers about other people that the man referenced. Soon, though, his answers come as seemingly his entire henchman army turns on the three superheroes.
Geez, plenty going on for a typically pretty self-contained book. AVENGING SPIDER-MAN also had a team-up between these three and it was a bit more tense in terms of the relationship between the three established characters, even though that one featured Peter Parker as Spider-Man. This one ties very nicely into the events of SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN and builds well off both the imminent GOBLIN NATION arc and the pretty obvious building antipathy between Spider-Man and his henchmen. It also kicks off with the typical accusation that maybe something isn't quite right with Spider-Man, an accusation well-leveled here (geez Daredevil, get in on the action) and one that slots nicely into a time when everyone is at their most suspicious of him. In fact, the only real flaw I see with this book is that, as the back cover indicates, it takes place between SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN 26 and 27, meaning that it comes out before the books its supposed to take place between. It's not bad enough that it really damages the issue in any significant way, just kind of gives you the sneaking suspicion that maybe there's even more to this story that we haven't seen yet. Otherwise, though, really good issue, fun and quick-paced. Lot of action and a solid team-up between these three oft-teamed heroes. Also really good Marco Checchetto art. I think I keep accidentally confusing his name with maybe Carmine Di Giandomenico (I know, don't ask me how) and I like Checchetto's art a good deal more so I'm excited whenever I get a book from the one I like more.
Fraction and Lee Allred (s) and Lee Allred (w) and M. Allred (a) and L. Allred (c)
Backup story: Kesel and Lee Allred (s) and Lee Allred (w) and Quinones and M. Allred (a) and L. Allred (c)
It's Scott Lang vs. Doom in the battle that the entirety of this run of FF has been building towards. The team has depowered Doom and kept him from the power he so desperately craves after getting his hands on it for such a short time last issue and wielding it like the god he wants to be. So it's man-to-man for Scott and Doom and Scott starts pounding on the evil dictator and giving him a piece of his mind. There's a lot to do with Doom being a sociopath and Lang being an ex-con Cassie's death and so forth. Just as Lang's preparing for his final Doom beat-down, the Living Tribunal shows up to punish Doom for striking the Watcher. He decrees that Doom's face gain a new scar for every horrible crime he enacts going forward. Then he leaves and Lang beats him up some more. The story ends as Ravonna brings Franklin and Val to Scott and gives Doom a vision that he killed Val in the same way he killed Cassie and I guess all is as it should be maybe? The issue ends with the same backup story as in FANTASTIC FOUR 16.The fatal flaw of this issue is that it just seems to want to do a little too much. Between the really long and somehow rather preachy speech from Scott Lang as he pounds on Doom and the sudden appearance of the Living Tribunal and a somewhat ham-fisted explanation of how powerful Scott Lang is and how he harnessed the true power of Pym Particles and all sorts of other things, the issue really starts to drag on to the point where I was reading it and kind of saying "okay, we get it." It leaves you almost feeling bad for Doom who is very CLEARLY the villain here but who doesn't really come off that way after Scott's long speech. I think the problem has also had to do with focus as the series wound its way down. Bit of a strange send-off, really, and one that, like FANTASTIC FOUR 16, felt a little like maybe it snuck up on the creators a bit. Ah well.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 9
Shinick (w) and Checchetto (a) and Rosenberg (c)
Spider-Man can't help but feel like things are a little tense in the city despite his anti-crime campaign. Everything is eerily quiet until bullets start flying at him. He dodges them and decks his stomach and chest area in his webbing before flying down at his assailant. Spidey is surprised to find that it's Punisher shooting at him (and unaware that his new webbing is bulletproof) and quickly learns that Punisher was trying to get his attention for Daredevil, who is also hanging around. The two are suspicious of the way Spider-Man has been acting lately and they both suspect that he may have had a hand in the theft of a goblin glider from one of Punisher's armories. Spider-Man consents to bring them to Spider-Island to show them his own armory and to prove that he didn't take Punisher's stuff. They talk about how secure Spidey has made the place and how protected he's made the arms he's found but, of course, when he opens the weapons room everything is gone, save one pumpkin bomb flying at them. Punisher shoots it out of the air and he and Daredevil manage to see (or "see," in Daredevil's case) someone trying to escape, disguised as one of Spidey's henchmen. Daredevil sniffs the guy out and the guy reveals that he's covered himself in pumpkin bombs, ready to take the whole place down if need be. He asks for directions from the person he's working for but said person (who we know to be the Green Goblin) does not respond, realizing that Daredevil would hear him and preferring not to be in the open yet. Punisher shoots the trigger out of his hand but it doesn't stop the henchman from dropping a smoke grenade followed by a flashbomb, effectively blinding Punisher (wearing night vision goggles). Punisher throws a knife at the man, upsetting Spider-Man who hoped to get answers about other people that the man referenced. Soon, though, his answers come as seemingly his entire henchman army turns on the three superheroes.Geez, plenty going on for a typically pretty self-contained book. AVENGING SPIDER-MAN also had a team-up between these three and it was a bit more tense in terms of the relationship between the three established characters, even though that one featured Peter Parker as Spider-Man. This one ties very nicely into the events of SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN and builds well off both the imminent GOBLIN NATION arc and the pretty obvious building antipathy between Spider-Man and his henchmen. It also kicks off with the typical accusation that maybe something isn't quite right with Spider-Man, an accusation well-leveled here (geez Daredevil, get in on the action) and one that slots nicely into a time when everyone is at their most suspicious of him. In fact, the only real flaw I see with this book is that, as the back cover indicates, it takes place between SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN 26 and 27, meaning that it comes out before the books its supposed to take place between. It's not bad enough that it really damages the issue in any significant way, just kind of gives you the sneaking suspicion that maybe there's even more to this story that we haven't seen yet. Otherwise, though, really good issue, fun and quick-paced. Lot of action and a solid team-up between these three oft-teamed heroes. Also really good Marco Checchetto art. I think I keep accidentally confusing his name with maybe Carmine Di Giandomenico (I know, don't ask me how) and I like Checchetto's art a good deal more so I'm excited whenever I get a book from the one I like more.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Superior Spider-Man 25
Superior Spider-Man 25
Slott and Gage (w) and Ramos and Olazaba (a) and Delgado, Fabela, and Gandini (c)
With the Venom symbiote, Spider-Man is stronger and faster than ever, giving him the upper hand in even his battle with the Avengers, called to the scene by Mary Jane. The only person that the Avengers can hope might help is Flash Thompson, who Iron Man goes to check in on at Parker Industries. Meanwhile, Carlie Cooper has been transformed into one of the Goblins with the Goblin serum though there's hope yet that not all is as it seems. She has yet to give away Spider-Man's true identity, claiming that she'll only give it when she's sure who her Goblin boss is. He claims to be Norman Osborn but won't lift his mask to confirm it until she's proven she's true to the Goblins and not to the NYPD so he sends her, under her new codename Monster, and Menace to go rough up some more of the Hobgoblin's men. Monster plays the part well (either because she really is full Goblin now or she's trying to get into the Goblin King's good books) and the result pleases Goblin King, who then declares an official war on Hobgoblin. Back in the city, Tony Stark shows up to the Spider-Man fight and sends Flash at Spidey with the Iron Man armor on. The surprise attack works as it's supposed to, granting Flash the opportunity to get the symbiote to come back to him but the symbiote refuses, realizing that it has more freedom with Spider-Man than it did with Flash, who tried to control it with drugs. With Spider-Man, it's been given free range and has very quietly pretty much taken control. Doc Ock realizes a moment too late that he really doesn't have much control any more and tries to force the symbiote out. By himself, he's too weak to do it but he gets help from none other than Peter Parker, not fully erased from his own mind after all. With the symbiote removed and Flash back in control of it, Peter goes back into hiding while he plots and plans and Otto announces that he's all better, that the symbiote that's been changing his behavior for months now has been eradicated and he's back to his normal self. MJ buys Otto's line when he appears to her that night but the Avengers absolutely do not and Stark, when he learns about the tests the Avengers ran on him back when he was in space, finds that someone has deleted all of the tests and the footage from that day from all security cameras but one. Cap calls for the Avengers to bring Spider-Man in.
Oh what a day, everyone, as it does indeed seem as if Peter Parker is truly coming back. Sadly, as I AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (oh my god, look at that beautiful Marcos Martin variant at right). I'm not surprised, per se (though I'm both surprised and unsurprised by the 5.99 price tag on that first issue which, admittedly, is 64 pages, but still), but I can't say I'm also not happy. Do I like SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN and the changes it's brought? Sure. I think it's stagnated just a tiny bit in the last couple of arcs (though I think, looking at the broad strokes of it, it was still rather interesting and very well done) but I think the idea has always been there and I am very impressed that Dan Slott kept Peter Parker dead for nearly a year and a half, come April. In this world where we're so used to heroes dying and being resurrected, there's now no bigger example. It was never a question of "if," it was a question of "when" and "how." Slott's left the pieces in place and done a pretty great job of it and now I think everyone will be better for it. More impressively, perhaps, the Goblin War storyline will push forward in the midst of all of this, meaning that Slott will carry two major stories out at the same time and both will likely be instrumental to the book and pretty epic in scale, all while he writes more established characters than ever, between Otto and Peter, the Spider-Man supporting cast, the Avengers, the Goblins, and (admittedly not in this book but Slott's still busy writing it, you guys) Silver Surfer. Should be a really fun time going forward, though I don't look forward to writing "Goblin" more times than I had to today, even. That word is WEIRD.
mentioned in the pre-game this week, the news was rather spoiled by the April solicits, which revealed a new title coming, or rather an old title returning, as we'll see the launch of
Slott and Gage (w) and Ramos and Olazaba (a) and Delgado, Fabela, and Gandini (c)
Oh what a day, everyone, as it does indeed seem as if Peter Parker is truly coming back. Sadly, as I AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (oh my god, look at that beautiful Marcos Martin variant at right). I'm not surprised, per se (though I'm both surprised and unsurprised by the 5.99 price tag on that first issue which, admittedly, is 64 pages, but still), but I can't say I'm also not happy. Do I like SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN and the changes it's brought? Sure. I think it's stagnated just a tiny bit in the last couple of arcs (though I think, looking at the broad strokes of it, it was still rather interesting and very well done) but I think the idea has always been there and I am very impressed that Dan Slott kept Peter Parker dead for nearly a year and a half, come April. In this world where we're so used to heroes dying and being resurrected, there's now no bigger example. It was never a question of "if," it was a question of "when" and "how." Slott's left the pieces in place and done a pretty great job of it and now I think everyone will be better for it. More impressively, perhaps, the Goblin War storyline will push forward in the midst of all of this, meaning that Slott will carry two major stories out at the same time and both will likely be instrumental to the book and pretty epic in scale, all while he writes more established characters than ever, between Otto and Peter, the Spider-Man supporting cast, the Avengers, the Goblins, and (admittedly not in this book but Slott's still busy writing it, you guys) Silver Surfer. Should be a really fun time going forward, though I don't look forward to writing "Goblin" more times than I had to today, even. That word is WEIRD.mentioned in the pre-game this week, the news was rather spoiled by the April solicits, which revealed a new title coming, or rather an old title returning, as we'll see the launch of
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Superior Spider-Man 15, Superior Carnage 2, Superior Foes of Spider-Man 2
Superior Spider-Man 15
Slott (w) and H. Ramos and Olazaba (a) and Delgado (c)
People in Peter's life are getting understandably more suspicious as Spider-Man's raid on Shadowland makes the news. Meanwhile, Hobgoblin is panicking, burned by Kingpin and now in too deep with money problems, he goes to the Tinkerer to get new tech and begins robbing banks to make up the difference. The bank robberies are widely publicized and Spider-Man is astounded to find that his Spider-bots aren't picking up any sign of this Goblin. Green Goblin is wise to this too and directs his growing empire to break up for the time being, choosing to lie low and let Hobgoblin be caught by the fixed Spider-bots rather than risk them finding him. It culminates in a battled between Hobgoblin and Spider-Man and Spider-Man pulling out all the stops to bring him down.
Dan Slott's been building Phil Urich as an important character for quite some time and it's all paying off now. His character hasn't been anything particularly deep, just an incredibly troubled man who happened upon the Hobgoblin identity at a delicate time. Still, as everything unravels for him you can look back and see years of development for the character coming to a head as Spider-Man finally learns his identity and quickly exposes it to the world. There's also talk in this issue of Spider-Man dropping the Peter Parker persona in all and dedicating his entire life to Spider-Man, thinking he could get so much more done without the double life. It's Anna Maria Marconi who keeps him invested now but it's an interesting idea to bring up. Doc Ock has brought everything where he wants it to be, including locking himself down a veritable army of henchmen and a headquarters as well as getting Jameson in his pocket. He could, with no attachment to Peter's life and considering how little of Peter's life is known (or cared about) to the Avengers, abandon the Peter Parker identity at the drop of a hat, cutting out characters who have mattered since the inception of the series. The good thing about Slott, though, is that the prospect of that doesn't enrage me or anything along those lines (though I could see it enraging people more concerned with the welfare of MJ or Carlie than I, if such people exist), it simply opens up another really interesting door for this series. Neat stuff.
Superior Carnage 2
Schinick (w) and Segovia (a) and J. D. Ramos (c)
The Wizard is losing his mind or may have already lost it and it's jeopardizing, or perhaps inspiring, this mission. He's still desperate to control Carnage, which would add a devastating member to the new Frightful Four but is proving difficult to do since Kasady's brain is fried. He brings in a scientist who is keep to their plan but who is unsure it can be pulled off and is very skeptical about Wizard's current state. He reveals to Klaw that Black Bolt messed with Wizard's mind and worries that it's showing, that maybe the genius Wizard once was can never be restored. Spider-Man is aware of some of these happenings (at least that Wizard and Carnage have broken out) but he's currently somewhat undisturbed by that. Both villains are broken and he assumes that he'll have to take care of Carnage once Carnage inevitably kills Wizard. Wizard, after several attempts, still has made no progress on finding a brain to control in Carnage and moves to the next logical step: giving it a brain.
There's a lot going on here that's compelling, perhaps most of all Wizard's breakdown. After his plot involving the FF, Wizard has been seemingly irreparably broken. Spider-Man hints at the fact that whatever Black Bolt has done to Wizard's mind will likely kill him before long. Does Wizard already know that? Is this a shot at a legacy or a suicide mission? How desperate is Wizard to prove something to Bentley-23, who he keeps seeing everywhere and calling to, only to be brought back into the real world harshly. Klaw views Wizard as family (the man's resurrected him enough times); where does that leave him when this all shakes out? Where does it leave the way Wizard thinks about Klaw? All of these questions are compelling ones and they don't even invoke the titular character of this series. Stories with Carnage tend to be incredibly dangerous ones that end in a lot of murder (this one's already had plenty of that) and all of these questions don't even touch on his presence. Pretty solid layout for a mini-series.
Superior Foes of Spider-Man 2
Spencer (w) and Lieber (a) and Rosenberg (c)
Boomerang is out of jail and is trying to get his team in the black somehow. We see a bit of the life of a supervillain here as Boomerang has to meet with his team, with some higher-ups (Chameleon again, who ranks higher than Boomerang or anyone else on his team in the villain society), with his lawyer, and eventually with a judge for a parole hearing. The team debates finding a new member and what their next job should be. Boomerang is still in the hole to Chameleon and the people he works for so needs to direct the team's attention that way. The rest of the team is ready to play but Shocker is on to his game.
There's a somewhat compelling story here made less compelling by the audience's lack of concern for the book's main characters. Hopefully over time they'll develop in such a way that we actually care about what they do and how they end up but right now they're simply C-list supervillains, making it particularly hard to care about them. They're still bad guys but digging up C-listers, while making for a more original and more fun story, lowers the stakes. Spencer's going to have to do a lot to keep those stakes raised and bring some amount of empathy to the characters. If you're a regular superhero book reader from the Big 2, you'll also have to break yourself of some of the preconceptions of how one of these books should be written to read this one. It's aiming far funnier than any other book and, again, the stakes are lower. Superhero books tend to need to push the stakes to their highest over and over again (it's why death is so prevalent in comics, which is why resurrection has become so prevalent) but here our stakes are, as I'v said, fairly low. The writing is typically sharp and pretty funny but there are moments where it comes off as trying too hard and feeling a little desperate. Overall, though, it's a pretty nice read and it moves well. It's a nice break from the tension and drama that accompanies a lot of superhero books and it's a really nice break from the weaker superhero books out there.
Slott (w) and H. Ramos and Olazaba (a) and Delgado (c)
People in Peter's life are getting understandably more suspicious as Spider-Man's raid on Shadowland makes the news. Meanwhile, Hobgoblin is panicking, burned by Kingpin and now in too deep with money problems, he goes to the Tinkerer to get new tech and begins robbing banks to make up the difference. The bank robberies are widely publicized and Spider-Man is astounded to find that his Spider-bots aren't picking up any sign of this Goblin. Green Goblin is wise to this too and directs his growing empire to break up for the time being, choosing to lie low and let Hobgoblin be caught by the fixed Spider-bots rather than risk them finding him. It culminates in a battled between Hobgoblin and Spider-Man and Spider-Man pulling out all the stops to bring him down.Dan Slott's been building Phil Urich as an important character for quite some time and it's all paying off now. His character hasn't been anything particularly deep, just an incredibly troubled man who happened upon the Hobgoblin identity at a delicate time. Still, as everything unravels for him you can look back and see years of development for the character coming to a head as Spider-Man finally learns his identity and quickly exposes it to the world. There's also talk in this issue of Spider-Man dropping the Peter Parker persona in all and dedicating his entire life to Spider-Man, thinking he could get so much more done without the double life. It's Anna Maria Marconi who keeps him invested now but it's an interesting idea to bring up. Doc Ock has brought everything where he wants it to be, including locking himself down a veritable army of henchmen and a headquarters as well as getting Jameson in his pocket. He could, with no attachment to Peter's life and considering how little of Peter's life is known (or cared about) to the Avengers, abandon the Peter Parker identity at the drop of a hat, cutting out characters who have mattered since the inception of the series. The good thing about Slott, though, is that the prospect of that doesn't enrage me or anything along those lines (though I could see it enraging people more concerned with the welfare of MJ or Carlie than I, if such people exist), it simply opens up another really interesting door for this series. Neat stuff.
Superior Carnage 2
Schinick (w) and Segovia (a) and J. D. Ramos (c)
The Wizard is losing his mind or may have already lost it and it's jeopardizing, or perhaps inspiring, this mission. He's still desperate to control Carnage, which would add a devastating member to the new Frightful Four but is proving difficult to do since Kasady's brain is fried. He brings in a scientist who is keep to their plan but who is unsure it can be pulled off and is very skeptical about Wizard's current state. He reveals to Klaw that Black Bolt messed with Wizard's mind and worries that it's showing, that maybe the genius Wizard once was can never be restored. Spider-Man is aware of some of these happenings (at least that Wizard and Carnage have broken out) but he's currently somewhat undisturbed by that. Both villains are broken and he assumes that he'll have to take care of Carnage once Carnage inevitably kills Wizard. Wizard, after several attempts, still has made no progress on finding a brain to control in Carnage and moves to the next logical step: giving it a brain.There's a lot going on here that's compelling, perhaps most of all Wizard's breakdown. After his plot involving the FF, Wizard has been seemingly irreparably broken. Spider-Man hints at the fact that whatever Black Bolt has done to Wizard's mind will likely kill him before long. Does Wizard already know that? Is this a shot at a legacy or a suicide mission? How desperate is Wizard to prove something to Bentley-23, who he keeps seeing everywhere and calling to, only to be brought back into the real world harshly. Klaw views Wizard as family (the man's resurrected him enough times); where does that leave him when this all shakes out? Where does it leave the way Wizard thinks about Klaw? All of these questions are compelling ones and they don't even invoke the titular character of this series. Stories with Carnage tend to be incredibly dangerous ones that end in a lot of murder (this one's already had plenty of that) and all of these questions don't even touch on his presence. Pretty solid layout for a mini-series.
Superior Foes of Spider-Man 2
Spencer (w) and Lieber (a) and Rosenberg (c)
There's a somewhat compelling story here made less compelling by the audience's lack of concern for the book's main characters. Hopefully over time they'll develop in such a way that we actually care about what they do and how they end up but right now they're simply C-list supervillains, making it particularly hard to care about them. They're still bad guys but digging up C-listers, while making for a more original and more fun story, lowers the stakes. Spencer's going to have to do a lot to keep those stakes raised and bring some amount of empathy to the characters. If you're a regular superhero book reader from the Big 2, you'll also have to break yourself of some of the preconceptions of how one of these books should be written to read this one. It's aiming far funnier than any other book and, again, the stakes are lower. Superhero books tend to need to push the stakes to their highest over and over again (it's why death is so prevalent in comics, which is why resurrection has become so prevalent) but here our stakes are, as I'v said, fairly low. The writing is typically sharp and pretty funny but there are moments where it comes off as trying too hard and feeling a little desperate. Overall, though, it's a pretty nice read and it moves well. It's a nice break from the tension and drama that accompanies a lot of superhero books and it's a really nice break from the weaker superhero books out there.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Superior Spider-Man 14, Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 1, Scarlet Spider 19
Superior Spider-Man 14
Slott (w) and Ramos and Olazaba (a) and Delgado (c)
The Superior Spider-Man has officially established himself as a force in the new Marvel Universe and now, with the backing (or blackmailing, I suppose) of the mayor, he's waging a one-man war on the crime bosses of the city. He's been taking them down quietly throughout the series, in the background of other, more intricate stories, but now he's at full-on war. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Jameson granted him use of the Raft last issue as a base and he's already enhanced that by creating weapons and hiring a veritable army of henchmen. His first stop on this new power tour? Shadowland to remove the Kingpin. However, patiently waiting out Spider-Man's purge of the underworld is the Green Goblin, whose army is snapping up the underlings of every fallen organization to build a rather impressive force of his own. Will Spider-Man turn his attention to Goblin too late?
This is certainly a very interesting story and anyone nervous that Doc Ock might too quickly discover his humanity and turn into just a jerkier version of Spider-Man is probably feeling pretty assuaged of that fear right now. This is clearly not the same Spider-Man Peter Parker was. He's not the ever-innocent young man who finds himself caught up in desperate problems and may regret the innocent way out later. This is a guy who solves the problem the most permanent way he can, someone who sees black and white in terms of what's right and wrong and who acts on it, even if it's not particularly popular. It's kind of Punisher like, but if Punisher was very slightly more concerned with who he kills (Spider-Man often doesn't deal with lower criminals, hence why so many henchmen are escaping to join up with Goblin) and if Punisher was an awful lot smarter. When this series was announced, I saw it going a lot of different ways. I'm happy to say that this isn't one of them. I don't know who would have predicted that Doc Ock actually becoming a superior Spider-Man in maybe not-so-savory ways was coming to us with the death of Peter Parker, but I'm certainly not disappointed by it. It's a nice change of pace for the book in general and it's an even nicer change from what I expected to get (which mostly ended up going back to "Peter will be back within six months." We've officially passed that deadline and, while it's certainly not unlikely that Peter will return sooner or later, the book is moving really well.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 1
Yost (w) and D. Lopez and A. Owens (a) and Rosenberg (c)
The days of the Avenging Spider-Man are over. Spider-Man doesn't really avenge any more, preferring instead to strike first, and the Avengers have him on probation anyway (my girlfriend pointed out to me that he's still appearing regularly in Avengers, though. My theory is essentially that if you have a world threatening problem on your hands, are you really going to not call Spider-Man? Seems awfully petty. Really, not sure what "probation" means for the Avengers. You don't have access to Jarvis?). However, he's still out heroing which means he's still going to interact with other heroes pretty often, and maybe some other villains, especially considering the way he was gathering them up at the end of Avenging Spider-Man. At the start of this series, though, he appears to have gone crazy, attacking and beating up many of the city's superheroes in what looks, from the outside, like something of a power play to show who is who in this Universe. But not everything is as it seems and, while it's a step above the old comics that had a cover showing the Avengers fighting only to reveal on the first page that they were fighting in the training room, comic readers will probably take to the explanation pretty quickly. That said, the book has kicked off pretty successfully with Christopher Yost again proving why he's one of my favorite people on this Earth with his delightful comics and the long-standing appreciation I have for him after the amazing Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (my appreciation for him and that show has only gone up after watching as much as I could bear of the truly awful Avengers Assemble cartoon that took its place).
Despite what I said above about the reason Spidey's attacking heroes being somewhat predictable, it's delivered in such a manner that it keeps the audience guessing until the reveal, wherein the reader goes "oh, of course it's just that." It doesn't hurt that no one is quite sure what to make of Superior Spider-Man right now and we're all waiting for the penny to drop with Doc Ock at the helm, so it's not unbelievable to the audience particularly (but even to the Avengers) that he would go around showing his strength by putting down the other heroes. Yost is also careful not to explain until he has to, not even giving Spider-Man any significant lines until he has to exposition a bit. Issue one is certainly a fun ride and the art helps the book stand apart. Running afoul of the Avengers again does make Spidey recognize the usefulness in having a team but he refuses to be a part of a team like that. Doc Ock doesn't play particularly well with others; he plays fairly well above others. Don't be surprised to see him using his own team in less of a "team" fashion and more of a "I will make you do what I tell you to do" sort of fashion. No guarantees, but it certainly fits more. Still, good first issue, solid writing and nice character ideas to boot.
Scarlet Spider 19
Yost and Burnham (w) and Barberi, Wong, Pallot, and Bit (a) and Lokus, Soto, and Fabela (c)
Kaine and Wolverine are still in the heat of battle against the Assassin's Guild and the matter is complicated more by the appearance of the mysterious Red Death, someone who had been killed by the X-Men at some point in the past, according to a little bit of a flashback for Wolverine. The Assassin's Guild is caught totally off-guard by her and isn't quite sure how to proceed. Belladonna wants to stay in her good graces and work alongside her, fearing her retribution, while many in the Guild seem to think Wolverine and Kaine have a good shot at killing her, keeping them potentially alive. Kaine and Wolverine continue to interact pretty flawlessly with one another and the writing is quick and fun. The threat itself is pretty intimidating as well, which helps the book. Kaine uses a bit of wily thinking and he and Wolverine work well together (making it honestly a little sad that they've sworn never to work together again, a promise that I can't imagine will be broken given the ending of this issue). Still, there seems almost no respite as they have to battle the Red Death herself and, if they should happen to survive that fight, they'll still be facing the Assassin's Guild. Read the issue to find out if and how they manage it.
The thing that impresses me most about Christopher Yost is the ease that he seems to have slipping into characters. Everyone he writes has their moments of humor, like everyone in real life, all while sticking to their basic character. Obviously Kaine and Spider-Man are both characters he writes regularly, so there aren't many surprises there, but even when he throws guests into any of the books (which he's had to do with regularity, particularly since the Spider-Man book he writes is entirely made up of guest appearances), he manages to write them within their own character but in a manner that slides so well into the tone of the book and alongside the tone of his main character. It was certainly what drove Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the dialogue between characters and the way that they fit alongside one another, and it continues to work perfectly in the books he gets involved in. Scarlet Spider is reaching its 20th issue and is really roaring along. Each issue is interesting in some way or another and the characters have developed nicely, particularly Kaine and Aracely. This book is always entertaining and always worth reading. Just a fun book.
Slott (w) and Ramos and Olazaba (a) and Delgado (c)
This is certainly a very interesting story and anyone nervous that Doc Ock might too quickly discover his humanity and turn into just a jerkier version of Spider-Man is probably feeling pretty assuaged of that fear right now. This is clearly not the same Spider-Man Peter Parker was. He's not the ever-innocent young man who finds himself caught up in desperate problems and may regret the innocent way out later. This is a guy who solves the problem the most permanent way he can, someone who sees black and white in terms of what's right and wrong and who acts on it, even if it's not particularly popular. It's kind of Punisher like, but if Punisher was very slightly more concerned with who he kills (Spider-Man often doesn't deal with lower criminals, hence why so many henchmen are escaping to join up with Goblin) and if Punisher was an awful lot smarter. When this series was announced, I saw it going a lot of different ways. I'm happy to say that this isn't one of them. I don't know who would have predicted that Doc Ock actually becoming a superior Spider-Man in maybe not-so-savory ways was coming to us with the death of Peter Parker, but I'm certainly not disappointed by it. It's a nice change of pace for the book in general and it's an even nicer change from what I expected to get (which mostly ended up going back to "Peter will be back within six months." We've officially passed that deadline and, while it's certainly not unlikely that Peter will return sooner or later, the book is moving really well.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 1
Yost (w) and D. Lopez and A. Owens (a) and Rosenberg (c)
The days of the Avenging Spider-Man are over. Spider-Man doesn't really avenge any more, preferring instead to strike first, and the Avengers have him on probation anyway (my girlfriend pointed out to me that he's still appearing regularly in Avengers, though. My theory is essentially that if you have a world threatening problem on your hands, are you really going to not call Spider-Man? Seems awfully petty. Really, not sure what "probation" means for the Avengers. You don't have access to Jarvis?). However, he's still out heroing which means he's still going to interact with other heroes pretty often, and maybe some other villains, especially considering the way he was gathering them up at the end of Avenging Spider-Man. At the start of this series, though, he appears to have gone crazy, attacking and beating up many of the city's superheroes in what looks, from the outside, like something of a power play to show who is who in this Universe. But not everything is as it seems and, while it's a step above the old comics that had a cover showing the Avengers fighting only to reveal on the first page that they were fighting in the training room, comic readers will probably take to the explanation pretty quickly. That said, the book has kicked off pretty successfully with Christopher Yost again proving why he's one of my favorite people on this Earth with his delightful comics and the long-standing appreciation I have for him after the amazing Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (my appreciation for him and that show has only gone up after watching as much as I could bear of the truly awful Avengers Assemble cartoon that took its place).Despite what I said above about the reason Spidey's attacking heroes being somewhat predictable, it's delivered in such a manner that it keeps the audience guessing until the reveal, wherein the reader goes "oh, of course it's just that." It doesn't hurt that no one is quite sure what to make of Superior Spider-Man right now and we're all waiting for the penny to drop with Doc Ock at the helm, so it's not unbelievable to the audience particularly (but even to the Avengers) that he would go around showing his strength by putting down the other heroes. Yost is also careful not to explain until he has to, not even giving Spider-Man any significant lines until he has to exposition a bit. Issue one is certainly a fun ride and the art helps the book stand apart. Running afoul of the Avengers again does make Spidey recognize the usefulness in having a team but he refuses to be a part of a team like that. Doc Ock doesn't play particularly well with others; he plays fairly well above others. Don't be surprised to see him using his own team in less of a "team" fashion and more of a "I will make you do what I tell you to do" sort of fashion. No guarantees, but it certainly fits more. Still, good first issue, solid writing and nice character ideas to boot.
Scarlet Spider 19
Yost and Burnham (w) and Barberi, Wong, Pallot, and Bit (a) and Lokus, Soto, and Fabela (c)
The thing that impresses me most about Christopher Yost is the ease that he seems to have slipping into characters. Everyone he writes has their moments of humor, like everyone in real life, all while sticking to their basic character. Obviously Kaine and Spider-Man are both characters he writes regularly, so there aren't many surprises there, but even when he throws guests into any of the books (which he's had to do with regularity, particularly since the Spider-Man book he writes is entirely made up of guest appearances), he manages to write them within their own character but in a manner that slides so well into the tone of the book and alongside the tone of his main character. It was certainly what drove Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the dialogue between characters and the way that they fit alongside one another, and it continues to work perfectly in the books he gets involved in. Scarlet Spider is reaching its 20th issue and is really roaring along. Each issue is interesting in some way or another and the characters have developed nicely, particularly Kaine and Aracely. This book is always entertaining and always worth reading. Just a fun book.
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